BVA welcomes plan to ban wild animals in England’s circuses

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has welcomed the news that travelling circuses in England will be prohibited from using wild animals within the next two years.

In its five-year review of the 2012 Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses Regulations for England, the government has committed to introducing a legislative ban on wild circus animals by the time the current regulations expire on January 19th 2020.

Similar legislation was already introduced in Scotland in December 2017, making it an offence for a circus operator to cause or permit wild animals to be used in travelling circuses. It is set to come into force later this year.

The BVA has been campaigning for England to follow suit for some time, and will now be pushing for the remaining governments of the UK to fall in line with the emerging consensus.

BVA president John Fishwick said: "While only a small number of animals will be directly affected, this ban goes to the heart of how we think about and treat animals in the world today."

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